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OutlookSVB
www.svbcofe.org.ukChipping Sodbury, Old Sodbury,Little Sodbury and Horton.
The magazine of the churches of The Sodbury Vale Benefice:
October- November 2021
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St Adeline’s, Little SodburyLinda Hurst01454 319183
Our Team
Churchwardens
St John’s, Old SodburyJohn Myers01454 312223
St John’s, Chipping SodburyJoy Gibson01454 319288
Paul Jones-Williams01454 324970
St James’, HortonTina Hildick-Smith01454 320380
Richard Needs01454 329890
AdministratorsMichelle Jenkins, Trish Gailey
and helpers
Published by The Sodbury Vale Benefice, Church Office, St John’s Church Centre, Wickwar Road,Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6BQ, 01454 325160, [email protected], Open in school termtime, Mon - Tue - Thu mornings 9.00 - 12.00. Editor - Michael Stephenson [email protected]
AdvertisingVolunteer required
Safeguarding Nominated PersonHannah Saunders 07515 915976
[email protected] Hannah if you have a concern about
suspected abuse of a child or a vulnerableadult
The RectorThe Revd.
Canon David Bowers01454 313159,
[email protected] off Monday
CurateThe Revd.
Jane Jones-Williams07498 878164
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A Word from Jane“The heavens declare the glory of God”. How does theexperience of the natural world inform anunderstanding of God? Thus was the title of my finalcollege assignment, submitted in September. A 6,000word project, but how can you limit the description ofGod’s glory; there’s so much to write about!The very wonder of God’s creation opens our minds tomore than we might expect if we think beyond whatwe can see. Whilst we’re unlikely to see much of theuniverse from an urban garden these days, less lightpolluted areas reveal some of what’s hidden from
normal view; night skies studded with stars and planets, drawingus in to dwell on how this was all formed. How is it all supported,is there other life of any kind? What is the size and scope ofcreation? If there are aliens, does Jesus save them too, or are wethe only ones who need his redemption.Then there’s what’s in full view if we just look. The sky, whateverthe weather. Seas and beaches, with differing makeups across theworld, from murky to clear, azure sea with white sands. Thendiffering landscapes, trees, flowers, grass – intricate patterns. Themultitude of creatures and the differences in them, cute ordangerous. Cats that should be miniature versions of their wildcousins, but like mine, are fluffy, white and blue-eyed. Finally,there’s us and the wonder of human creation as we have childrenand then grandchildren, how they can resemble us or not. Imaginethe fun the Trinity must have, experimenting and creating thedifferent parts. Their massive paint box with many brushes, givinga zebra black and white stripes helping disguise it from predators.Small mice and birds in drab colours, again, helping protect them,but then vibrantly coloured birds designed to attract a mate or justfor our amazement. Experiencing all this, surely it can’t havehappened by itself; it shows us the glory of God so clearly.But we know it’s in danger, danger from us whom God created.Led by Revd Chris Axford, the Benefice is looking at ways we, bothas churches and individuals, can engage in eco church and climatechange issues generally. Meanwhile, this term Revd CatherineCoster is leading the children attending Storkies on a theme of‘Caring for God’s Creation’. Please do contact them for furtherinformation. Jane Jones-Williams
“Theheavensdeclarethe gloryof God”.
“it’s indanger,dangerfrom uswhom Godcreated”
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Persecution ofChinese ChristiansA Chinese court has sentenced fourChristians to a total of 13 years inprison for running a business thatsold Bible audio players.According to religious liberty maga-zine, Bitter Winter, the group wasfirst arrested and fined in July 2020for "conducting illegal business op-erations."Fu Hyunjuan, 43, Deng Tianyong, 50, Feng Qunhao, 45,and Han Li, 40 run Life Tree Culture Communicationsin the southeast city of Shenzhen. It produced and soldelectronic players which had the Bible recorded inthem.Fu, as the head of the organisation has been sentencedto six years in prison and fined 20 million ChineseYuan (£2 million).Chinese American pastor, Bob Fu has described it as a"heavy persecution" against Christians.Crackdown of Christians in China is increasing. Onlylast month, a pastor became the first Christian leaderto be arrested for "unlawfully possessing items thatadvocate terrorism or extremism."Speaking to Premier at the time of the pastor's arrest,Christian Solidarity World wide's advocacy officer Janeconfirmed the escalation of measures against ChineseChristians."We are seeing a huge pressure on the unregisteredindependent churches to close down completely.We're seeing church leaders being threatened regular-ly, interrogated by security agents and police becauseof their religious activities."China ranks 17th in Open Door's list of countrieswhere Christians are persecuted the most.Kelly Valencia (Premier Christian News)
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Proceeds in aid of St Adeline’s, Little Sodbury and St James’, Horton
To book a table contact Brenda Cordy07767 076985 or [email protected]
Craft and Table Fair atHorton Village HallSaturday 20th November 10:00am to 2:00pm
Tables include: Picklesand Preserves, Hand
Crafts, Bottles, Nestingboxes, Hog boxes, Birdfeeders, Planters and
much more.
Tea, coffee andcakes to keepyou refreshed
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Joining in with Mission of God.Every month a group from ourchurches meets to pray togetherfor missions, areas of work thatour churches support financiallyin our community and in variouslocations in the wider world.These are Regenerate, theFoodbank, Feba Radio, theTurning Point Trust, the ArpanaSchool and the community itserves, and CMS missionariesJimmy and Katia Rocks inFlorianopolis in Brazil.In a series of future articles in this magazine we plan to better inform churchmembers about the work of these organisations and the ways in which we supportthem through our prayer and our giving.
If we were to ask most Christiansquestions about mission we would bemet with various answers rangingfrom sadness at missions that appearto have failed, to inspiring tales ofways in which lives have beentransformed by encounters with JesusChrist, by actions taken in his name toprovide health care, education andtraining in Christian leadership.Most Christians would agree that all
should be involved in mission but often our lives are so busy. We attend meetings tokeep the organisation running and the fabric of the church building intact, as wellas coping with work and family, such that we find our call to mission difficult to putinto any sort of action. Often we are confused by what mission means for us locally,let alone in the wider world. And on a personal level the idea of sharing faith withneighbours, friends and strangers can be daunting.It has been suggested that it might be helpful tomove away from the idea that mission is somethingthat we and others do, to an understanding thatmission is about what God is doing in the world.Rowan Williams has written “It’s of course asalutary reminder of the very general principle that mission is never a matter of
Jimmy and Katia Rocks
“In every act ofmission, God is thereahead of us.”
Bible School group in Bangladesh
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taking God where he hasn’t been before, and introducing him to a lot of kindstrangers. In every act of mission, God is there ahead of us.”CMS pioneer student Kerry McLeish reflects on how she has changed from how shesees mission. It is not just seeing mission as going to a distant and troubled part ofthe world, running an Alpha course, putting on a church event or talking to aneighbour about her faith. It is also understanding that God is at work in the worldall the time through creation and in every aspect of life, with us joining in with whatGod is already doing. It’s not about us creating our own agenda and plans andasking God to bless those.It is really about trying tofind glimpses of glory,finding the places whereGod’s kingdom is breakingout. God is already on amission in everycommunity, and it is up tous to look and listen andwait to see where wemight join in.Working alongside peoplein our communities we acknowledge that we are only a small part of bigger secularstructures, and that everyone has ideas to offer and share. Our mission locally givesus the chance to be alongside others in an inclusive way in order to receive as wellas give. Our unique Christian perspective is to understand that God is already atwork in the people to whom we speak. Our challenge is for us to share the Gospel of
Jesus Christ so that mission becomes about changeand transformation for individuals as they trust inGod and, at the public and corporate level, as arelease from despair and oppression, from povertyand inhumanity.In the prayer time we share information receivedabout what God is doing through the gift of theglobal church. We seek to find ways to join in with
this so that we can see a world transformed by Christ. We invite you to join us byreceiving the monthly prayer sheet compiled and distributed by Frank, and byattending and sharing in our time of prayer together. We look for those glimpses ofglory and find those places where God’s Kingdom is breaking through.
Catherine Coster
“We look for thoseglimpses of glory andfind those places whereGod’s Kingdom isbreaking through. “
Turning Point Trust children in Kibera, Kenya
We normally meet in the Church Centre andmake it available for others to join via Zoom.
Dates 21 October; 18 November;Time 7.30pmPlace Upper Room, Church Centre
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Washing Dishes Whilethe Planet BurnsRecently the Sixth AssessmentReport from the IntergovernmentalPanel for Climate Change (IPCC) droppedwith a thud.The headlines are blazingly obvious,leaving policymakers no room to claimit’ll all come out in the wash. The record-breaking droughts, fires, and floods we’reseeing aren’t normal. The blame for ‘global warming’ is on humanity.Everything is connected, and no region is exempt.Our greenhouse gas-fuelled over consumption is responsible for a 0.8–1.3°C rise in global surface temperature over the last century. We’re atcode-red. Dialling down the heat requires drastic reductions towardglobal net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.Yet it’s unlikely we can keep within the 1.5-degree thresholdhowever severe the intervention; prior climate sins havegenerational fallout, with temperature rises set for decades tocome. Where can we find hope?Surprisingly, COP26 spokesperson Allegra Stratton suggested westart by skipping the rinse and putting our plates straight in thedishwasher. Unsurprisingly, such ‘micro-steps’ were mocked.Like Nero playing his proverbial fiddle, it’s easy to caricature thispolitician as washing dishes while the planet burns.Many claim we’re doomed. But what if there’s a third way tobring change on both large and small scales? Of necessity, thegovernment must do the heavy lifting. Head, heart, and handsmust work together. The facts will fall on deaf ears if our heartsare hard to the planet’s plight. And without hope that God loves hisworld and hasn’t abandoned us in this time of ecological need, ourhands are prone to point the finger at fallible politicians or hang limpby our side when our big plans fail.Everyday actions, prayerfully performed, prime us to care for creation.A simple lifestyle, sustainable eco-churches, and wise advocacy,together make for ecological integrity. It shows that hopeful actionbegins with our Creator’s goodness, not simply human machinations. Ifthis truth isn’t seen yet, be sure it’ll come out in the rinse.
Dr Dave Benson Culture & Discipleship Director, LICC
‘Each of us cantake smallsteps towardachieving netzero carbon. …how do youstart to changeyour life inmanageable,achievable,feasible, smallways?’
Source - London Institute forContemporary Christianitywww.licc.org.uk.
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“Back in the Swing Again!”
The most recent fundraising event organised by theFriends of Old Sodbury, certainly lived up to its name.One hundred and fifty guests enjoyed their al frescopicnics in the beautiful gardens of “Camers”, OldSodbury, whilst listening and indeed dancing to thetoe-tapping sounds of the Thornbury Swing Band. Theweather was perfect, and a beautiful sunset and themajestic sight of many hot air balloons provided astunning backdrop.
As the eveningcame to a close, itwas obvious fromcomments made,that the eventhad been anenormous
success and that all present had relished the chance tomeet up again, to relax in such an idyllic setting and toenjoy some sense of normality. Over £1300 was raisedto help maintain our beautiful church.Once again, we areindebted to the Denmanfamily for their kindnessand generosity inallowing us to sharetheir wonderful garden.Lynne Watts
Eco ChristmasIn the spirit of ‘EcoChurch’ we are planning apage of ChristmasGreetings in the Dec/Janissue of Outlook in lieu ofpeople sending Christmascards to their churchfriends. If you’d like to beinvolved, send yourseasonal messages to mein the office by email([email protected]) or pop in thepost box at the ChurchCentre by November 15and I’ll collate them to beour Season’s Greetingspage in December’sOutlook.You might want to thinkabout sending the moneyyou save on cards to yourfavourite charity – maybeit’s an Eco friendly one!Michelle
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A message from Bishop RobertThe opening chapters of the Bible in the book ofGenesis contain some of the most fundamental andprofound truths about the nature of the creation inwhich we live, and our own humanity. That the worldwas made by God and that it was good and that we,men and women, were created in God’s image, toreflect God’s love and to care for creation.As we reflect on this truth, what is laid before us is ourfailure. The way in which, in the words of thereproaches that we sing in the liturgy of Good Friday,we have created the means to destroy creation anddenigrated body and spirit to mar the image of God in ourselves and others. As theReproaches put it, God says to us:
I made my children of one bloodTo live in families rejoicing in one another.But you have embittered the races and divided the nations
Like so many I was deeply shocked by the recentPanorama programme. As Bishop Rachel said thatevening, “We heard the voices of courageous brothersand sisters sharing heart-breaking experiences ofracism in the Church of England, underlining yet again,our failure to act.”
We need to say it clearly. Racism is a sin. It is an affront to the very nature of Godwho created us, each one of us, every one of us, with no exceptions, children of oneblood… called to rejoice in one another.The report of the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce will be important. It buildson work already begun by the House of College of Bishops, and s a major focus ofwork we are undertaking in this Diocese. But all this will be of no consequence ifwe do not act, and we will not act until our hearts are convicted of the evil ofracism and discrimination and the need to confront it, in our Church, in widersociety, in our county… crucially in ourselves. Racism is simply never someoneelse’s problem; it is mine and yours and needs to be actively confronted andcountered.Jesus commands us to love God and our neighbours as ourselves. We have marredthe image of our God.The Panorama programme challenges us again. How will I play my part, what thingwill I, my church and community, what will we as a Diocese do, to redress this sin,to live differently, in the way for which we were created. + Robert
“Racism is a sin. Itis an affront to thevery nature of God”
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More ideas …Maybe you do something that you could share with others?
Every small action makes a difference, and there will bemany small steps on this journey of change we all need tomake. I invite you to send me your ideas, things you do thatyou could share with others, so that the Eco Church Groupcan circulate them more widely. We’ll keep themanonymous as we may find similar ideas get put together.
This can be a long term project, so keep them coming in - by email or viathe Church Office.One thing we can all do is pray. We know God cares for his world; we cantalk to him about our concerns and listen for his guidance. You might getsome ideas from this prayer, written by Andy Atkins, CEO of A Rocha UK.
A short chat with God about climate change.Heavenly Father, we’re anxious about Climate Breakdown.It’s already causing wildfires, crop failures, killer heatwaves and floods.We’re angry: it’s so unfair, hitting the poorest hardest,Adding to human conflict and compounding nature’s struggles.From youngsters to grandparents, we need some hope:To see governments stopping the bad stuff and drivingthe good,A fair transition to a low carbon economy, a nature-friendly way,Acting boldly on the science; no more denial or delay!And this year, Heavenly Father, the climate summit will be in the UK tooIt’s exciting and daunting; what should your people do?We will praise you for your creation; commit our churches to act;Work together across neighbourhoods and nations;And call all leaders to be bold, just, honest with the facts;So, help us, Heavenly Father, to worship, act and speak up.Yes, we will worship, act and speak up.
Chris Axford, (Eco Church group)Phone: 01454 321161,Email: [email protected]
But what can I do about the Climate Crisis?
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Bishop Rachel as you have not seen herbeforeEarly in September Bishop Rachel dedicated new bronze statues of John the Baptistand Mary at Cirencester Parish Church and wood figures in the gardens whichinvolved her in a range of unusual activities including a ride on a cherry picker,despite her not being a great fan of heights, skateboarding, table tennis and playingstatues with the children.
A Reader’s LetterDuring my stay in Glebe House I decided to read the wholeBible – Genesis to Revelations, as well as my BRF notes. Someparts are horrible – rape, murder and much more. Some arenot for public reading.When I got to 1 Samuel the reading coincided with my BRFnotes where Samuel has to tell Eli, the priest, some bad news.(This was a confirmation of what God had told Eli previously, that noman of his family would reach old age due to the contemptible actionsof Eli’s two sons, Phinehas and Hophni.)My own family is going through a difficult time. One of mygrandsons was choosing a name for a new daughter. He andher mother chose the name of a rather evil pagan God. Itseemed so contrary to the Christian Faith, so -hesitantly- Itold my grandson. I don’t think a good priest would baptise achild with such a name. Please pray for us. David Webster
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Mothers’ UnionMothers’ Union is a Christian mission organisation working withpeople of all faiths and none. We are firmly rooted in a voluntaryethos centred on mutual respect and collaboration.Our governance, leadership, and activities are driven by andundertaken through members within their own communitiesworldwide.
Monday August 9th was Mary Sumner Day, Founder of the Mothers’Union, and as a branch we celebrated this day with an afternoon teain the garden of Chris and Jenny Evans. Thankfully the weather waskind to us and we were able to gather together for a long awaitedcatchup with friends.If you have never attended any of our meetings you will be mostwelcome to come along. We meet on the second Monday of themonth at 2.00pm in the Church centre, commencing prayerfully inSeptember.(Apologies to Jenny and Diane who do not appear in the photographwhether by accident or design!!!!) Hilary Hurley
The Mary Sumner PrayerAll this day, O Lord, let me touch as many lives as possible
for thee;And every life I touch, do thou by thy spirit quicken,
Whether through the word I speak, the prayer I breathe,or the life I live.
Amen
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Copy Deadline Please send all copyfor the December-January issue to the Church
Office by Friday November 19
Front Cover:St John’s Chipping Sodbury
Rachel’s storyRachel served a sentence at Eastwood Park Prison and told her storyin the House of Commons at an event to highlight the importance offinding suitable accommodation for women released from prison.She said, “I tried to escape [from my abusive partner, who was dealingdrugs] many times but had never been able to get away. I found that if I didas I was told, the beatings happened less often.”Rachel was drawn into her partner’s drug dealing. “I got arrested andsentenced to four years in custody and was going to be away fromeverything I knew for two years. I was scared, I was terrified. My daughterhad to go and live with my parents – I know I’m very lucky to have hadthem.“In Eastwood Park, I met Jo from The Nelson Trust Women’s Centre. Shewould come and see me every week and I felt I had someone to talk to andshare my experiences with. “Throughout my whole time away, I wasconcerned about my release – how was I going to get a home for me and mydaughter? I wanted my life to be back to normal again.”Rachel was able to get a home, which the Diocese of Gloucester providedthrough The Nelson Trust Project Reunite Gloucestershire, to rebuild herrelationship with her daughter and finally be a mum. She now has a job, astrong relationship with her daughter and a foster daughter.
Prisons Week 10th to 16th OctoberWhat does the Church do to help prisoners and those released from prison?Prisons Week is when Christians join in prayer for all prisons andprisoners. As Anglican Bishop for HM Prisons in England and Wales and amember of the All-Parliamentary Group on Women in the Penal System,Bishop Rachel supports chaplains in prisons, as well as developingrelationships and being involved with people and issues across the breadthof the Criminal Justice System.She heads up a Prison Team and is a Patron of both the Prison Fellowship,and The Welcome Directory and the President of the Nelson Trust.
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Join us onSaturday 13th November at 10am
atSt John’s Church, Chipping Sodbury
Enjoy delicious cake and coffeeand have some fun
Save the Dates Friday 3rd December &Saturday 4th December
St John’s Church,Chipping Sodbury
A Crib FestivalBut not as you know it!
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This magazine is brought to you Free by the four churches of the SodburyVale Benefice. If you would like to make a small donation towards printingcosts which are 65p a copy that would be most welcome. Thank you.
Meet the members of the extended team who support our worship. They consist of
retired clergy (perhaps not quite?) and lay readers, who help David by taking
services and helping with other events around the benefice.
Revd. Canon Rob [email protected]
Revd. Chris [email protected]
Revd. Christine [email protected]
Revd. David Powe01454 777745
[email protected]. Pauline GreenRevd. Steve Abbott
[email protected] Perks (Reader)Revd. Canon Catherine Coster
[email protected] Swain (Reader)
The Extended TeamHonorary Assistant Ministers
